


People Who Raised Me

by Beyondspareoom



Category: teen wolf - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe, Derek has a giant family, F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-06-13
Updated: 2012-06-13
Packaged: 2017-11-07 15:31:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,869
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/432683
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Beyondspareoom/pseuds/Beyondspareoom
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In an universe where one of Kate's co-conspirators got cold feet before the fire, and called the police, everything changes.</p>
            </blockquote>





	People Who Raised Me

**Author's Note:**

> This fic was co-written with my sister (who doesn't have an AO3 account) as we came up with the plot and the entire Hale family back-story together.

Beacon Hills wasn’t exactly a small town, but it wasn’t a bustling metropolis either. It was a city that had never really grown into itself, caught somewhere between small town mentality, and big city looks. It was for that reason that crime in Beacon Hills tended to be on the tamer side for the most part. Murders were rare (though of course they happened) but they was much more likely to lose an out of towner, or a teenager in the woods that surrounded Beacon Hills. At least that’s how it usually was, the sheriff thought sardonically as he raced to toward the Hale house, sirens blaring. They’d gotten an anonymous tip that someone was planning to burn down the Hale residence with the Hales inside. Some of the deputies though it was nothing more than a prank call, but that wasn’t a risk that sheriff Stilinski was willing to take. Nothing seemed off as he jogged up to the door of the large three story house, but then again the caller had said he didn’t know _when_ exactly the suspect had been planning to strike.

“Sheriff? Have you lost another hiker?” River Hale asked as she answered the door. River Hale was a firecracker with an infectious love for life that was wrapped up in a pint sized package. Despite being only five foot the sheriffs had seen her out run and climb some of his fittest deputies.

“ ’Fraid not ma’am.” The sheriff sighed, running his hand through his hair. A lot of people seemed to think the Hales were strange, eccentric recluses; said it wasn’t normal to have that many people all living in one house, but the sheriff thought they were decent enough people. They were always willing to help search whenever a hiker or teenager got lost and more often than not it was one of the Hales who found them. They seemed to know this forest better than anyone. “We received a call…” He hesitated slightly, not sure how to phrase this. He’d never had to deliver news quite like this before. “There’s been a threat made against your family. It could just be somebody’s sick idea of a prank but we aren’t willing to take that chance. I’m here to take you all into protective custody until this gets sorted out.”

Her entire demeanor changed before his eyes, and she nodded seriously before whistling loudly. Within moments a number of the house’s occupants seemed to answer her call. “Mom? What’s going on?”

“Derek, go get Laura and tell her you both need to go pack yourselves, and your sisters overnight bags, and make sure to do it quickly.” Any argument he might have made seemed to disappear at his mother’s tone, and he hurried off to do as he was told. “Teddy, help your uncle get the car packed up, he knows where we keep the essentials. Your dad can pack your bag.”

“You got it Aunt Riv.” He said with a nod, much more awake now.

“River, what exactly is happening here?” The sheriff recognized Peter Hale from the times he’d helped with the search parties. Good man, though he had a strange sense of humor.

“I’ll explain later, but right now I just need you to help Teddy, okay little brother?”

“Got it short stuff.” Under different circumstances the comment likely would have gotten Peter a whack, but the bit of humor seemed to lighten the tension in the room. It was clear that they all knew the situation was serious even if they hadn’t been told much of anything. 

She turned to the only man left in the room besides the sheriff, and seemed prepared to give him his marching orders as well, but he held up a hand and gave her a small smile as he took off his glasses. “I’ll pack our things, and make sure Dorian keeps your sister from taking too long, you just do what you need to do honey.” He said, pressing a kiss to the top on her head.

“Thank you Arthur.” She said sounding relieved. “We should be ready to leave in twenty minutes.” River told the sheriff.

He gave a low, impressed whistle as River turned back to him. “You’ve got to teach me how to do that. I can barely get my son out of bed in time for school.” She smiled at the attempt to lighten the mood, but quickly grew serious again.

“Now sheriff tell me more about this threat against my family.”

He was sure it had to have been a trick of the light, but for a moment there he was almost convinced that her eyes had flashed a bright, glowing, red. “Does the name Kate Argent mean anything to you?”

\--

Sheriff Stilinski sighed as his head fell back against the court house bench. This had undoubtedly been one of the most stressful cases of his career, worse than anything he’d seen when he’d lived in LA (and if someone had told him six months ago that he’d run across a sicker bastard in Beacon Hills than he’d ever seen in LA he’d have called them crazy.) Twelve counts of attempted murder, and (this was the part that had him feeling absolutely sick to his stomach and made him contemplate a long session at the shooting range) one count of statutory rape. As if Kate Argent’s plan to kill the Hale family (the woman had been planning to trap them in their house and _burn them alive_ for God’s sake!) hadn’t been enough that psychopath had seduced the sixteen year old Hale boy, Derek, to find out what she needed to know about their routines and the house itself. The look on Derek’s face when he’d found out what he’d almost, unknowingly, helped Argent do was one that he wouldn’t be forgetting anytime soon. He scrubbed a hand over his face, and reminded himself that they _had_ gotten a conviction, and that Kate Argent wouldn’t be seeing the outside world ever again. Somehow though, when he remembered Derek’s face and the way he’d held his three year old sister close when they’d left the station that day, life without parole didn’t seem like enough. 

“Sheriff?” 

“Mrs.Hale?” The sheriff said, sitting up to look at the woman standing in front of him. “What can I do for you?” He could see most of her family farther down the hallway, though the two youngest seemed to be missing, as did Mrs.Hale’s mother. _‘Probably watching the kids,’_ he thought. He couldn’t blame the woman for not wanting to expose her daughters to this. It was just a shame she hadn't had much choice in the matter when it came to her son.

“Call me River.” She said, her usual brightness muted “I just wanted to thank you for everything you’ve done for my family. Please, if there’s ever anything you need don’t hesitate to ask.”

“You don’t need to do that.” He protested shaking his head. “I was just doing my job.”

“Be that as it may, if you hadn’t taken this as seriously as you had my family could very well be dead right now. We owe you a debt.” She had the same seriousness about her now that she’d had as she’d organized her family and gotten them out of the house that night (in what he sure was some kind of record time.) He’d seen it more than once between then and now, and it was moments like this that he had no problem understanding why the rest of her family seemed to look to her for guidance.

“Thank you for that.” He said, somehow unable to try and turn down the offer when she had that look about her. “And you can call me Jack.”

River smiled slightly, turning back towards her family. “Thank you Jack.”

\--

He was just about ready to rip his hair out. Their usual babysitter was out of town and Melissa was working a double at the hospital so he couldn’t just drop Stiles off to play with Scott. Jack racked his brain trying to think of _somewhere_ he could take him; he thought eleven was too young to leave a kid like Stiles home alone, but bringing him along with them to the hospital wasn’t an option either. The doctor hadn’t sounded encouraging when he’d called to tell them they’d gotten the results from Kalina’s tests, and if it was as bad as they both feared he didn’t want Stiles there, not for this. He sighed as an idea occurred to him. He didn’t like it, but he couldn’t see any other options here. “Come on Stiles we’re going for a ride.”

“Jack?” He must have made quite a sight: the rain had picked up on the drive over and just running from the car to the porch had left him soaking wet.

“I hate to ask this River but is that offer for a favor still good?” he asked cautiously, and feeling more than a little bad for having to ask something like this on such short notice. He’d tried to at least call to warn her he was coming but, as was the theme of the day his phone battery had died before he could finish dialing.

River nodded, without even waiting to hear what he needed. He wasn’t sure if that made her crazy or a saint; he was leaning toward a little bit of both. “Of course, what do you need?”

He sighed, half in relief and half in frustration. “It’s my son, I was hoping you could watch him for a couple of hours. I’m meeting my wife at the hospital and Stiles isn’t exactly made for sitting around for long periods of time…” He glanced back at the car where he’d left Stiles. The kid was kicking the head rest of the driver’s seat, already itching for a distraction.

“Say no more.” She smiled. “This place is a madhouse already, one more kid for a few hours won’t be a problem.” 

“You say that _now_ ” he joked, as he turned to wave Stiles over. He hoped from the car and ran over to stand half hidden behind his dad. “Stiles this is Mrs.Hale, she’s going to watch you for a couple of hours okay buddy?”

“Hi Stiles.” River said, smiling brightly at him, and Stiles seemed to relax almost instantly, smiling back and even waving at her.

“Hi! Do you have any kids?” Stiles asked curiously as he stepped out from behind his dad.

“Four of ‘em,” she told him with a grin, and Stiles perked up. “though I don’t think Laura would appreciate me calling her a kid.” She glanced up at the sheriff and added. “She’s graduating this year, all very exciting stuff.” River turned back to Stiles. “But Abby’s only a couple years younger than you I think, and I’m sure Derek would be happy to hang out with you.”

“Okay!” he chirped, already bouncing on the balls of his feet. _Thank you_ the sheriff mouthed at her as River lead Stiles inside. _No problem_ she mouthed back, as Stiles began his attempts to talk her ear off.


End file.
